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If you only skim the headlines lately, you\u2019d believe \u201cconscious consumerism\u201d is in full retreat, backpedaling to obscurity. ESG has become a political flashpoint. Corporate purpose feels diluted. DEI has been rebranded, softened, or even shelved altogether. Brands, wary of backlash, are pulling back from impact language.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
And yet, consumers didn\u2019t get the memo.<\/p>\n
According to our own 2026 Conscious Consumer Report<\/a>, conducted with our partners Ipsos and Engage for Good, 40% of North American purchases are now influenced by social and environmental considerations, which is up from 38% in last year\u2019s report<\/a>. That growth struck even during inflation, heightened price sensitivity, and what we\u2019re continuing to see as peak \u201canti-woke business\u201d rhetoric.<\/p>\n So we like to flip this concept on its head. Conscious consumerism isn\u2019t collapsing. It\u2019s normalizing, and it includes Republicans, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Two long-standing assumptions no longer hold.<\/p>\n First, higher income no longer predicts ethical purchasing. Sustainable shopping or values-driven purchasing doesn\u2019t map neatly to affluence. In fact, our most engaged segment, Sustainability Stewards, are nearly twice as likely as disengaged shoppers to say price had \u201cmuch more influence\u201d on their purchasing decisions over the past year. In other words, the most values-driven consumers are also highly price sensitive.<\/p>\n Second, this behavior transcends party lines. In the U.S., conscious purchasing is only marginally (2%) more associated with Democrats than Republicans. Values-driven behavior spans the political spectrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So ultimately, the conscious consumer is not ideological, but rather mainstream. And for brand leaders navigating a polarized market, that should be helpful and clarifying. The claims that resonate most aren\u2019t partisan, they\u2019re actually practical.<\/p>\n Last year, we identified the biggest obstacle to conscious consumerism: claims confusion. Brands were simply missing the mark. Nearly half of consumers walked away from products with unclear sustainability claims. Among the most conscious shoppers, that number surged to 87%\u2014so much lost opportunity.<\/p>\n So this year, we decided to pressure test the claims, by using the drivers and motivations for what actually drives purchase, and a very clear pattern emerged. Consumers favor claims that deliver immediate, personal benefit, or \u201cme now, not we later.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Claims like durability, safety, and ingredient transparency<\/em> outperformed future-focused or science-heavy sustainability language by 3-4x. When we reframed more abstract claims to make the human benefit explicit (e.g. \u201cSimple, non-toxic ingredients that are better for your health\u201d<\/em> or \u201cEvery purchase feeds your family and a family in need\u201d<\/em>), purchase motivation increased in 71% of consumables claims and 67% of wearables claims. That\u2019s significant.<\/p>\n The largest gains came from claims that previously felt indirect or ideological. Adding clear, everyday language made them tangible. \u201cFair working conditions\u201d performed better when rewritten as \u201cmade by people receiving living wages in safe working conditions,\u201d for example.<\/p>\n Ultimately, this approach isn\u2019t about diluting impact. It\u2019s about translating it, and some brands already understand this intuitively. Patagonia leads with durability, i.e. \u201cBuilt to last, making sustainability synonymous with quality<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Seventh Generation emphasizes products made without harmful chemicals, translating environmental care into family health. Allbirds showcases comfort first, and communicates materials used second. Oatly has a refreshing point-of-view around innovation and trial and error, and is humorous and self-deprecating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n These brand examples don\u2019t abandon impact; instead they anchor it in everyday value and humanity.<\/p>\n Interest in corporate impact remains strong. Sixty-two percent of Americans and Canadians say they\u2019re somewhat or very interested in learning about a company\u2019s social and environmental actions, but nearly three in four report low or no trust in business impact communications\u2014that\u2019s a trust gap.<\/p>\n When asked which sector has the greatest ability to improve the health of people and the planet, business ranks second behind the government. But when asked which sector they\u2019re most confident will take action, confidence drops significantly. In the U.S., confidence in government falls 24 points between perceived ability and expected action, placing it last among surveyed sectors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Silence from organizations doesn\u2019t ultimately reduce that risk, but rather it amplifies suspicion. Greenhushing reinforces the narrative that responsible business is fading, even when purchasing data says otherwise. This indicates that consumers see potential<\/em>, but they doubt follow-through.<\/p>\nTHE REAL BARRIER: CONFUSION<\/strong><\/h2>\n